a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card reader.
b) Description of the Related Art
In a card reader which takes cards inside to process data, a card inlet from which cards are inserted is formed to be widened toward the front, thus providing for easy insertion of cards. To prevent foreign matter other than the cards from entering inside the card reader, a shutter may be provided deep inside the card inlet. Only when legal cards are inserted, is the shutter moved to an open position to take the cards inside the card reader.
On the other hand, there are quite a few card readers which do not accommodate the shutter mechanism described above. Since such card readers cannot perfectly prevent foreign matter from entering, the foreign matter, such as coins and medals, inserted from the card inlet on purpose or by mistake may be taken inside the card reader and caught, causing a breakdown of the machine. To solve such a problem, a hole may be provided in a card transporting path in such a card reader utilizing a space such as a rear step of a card transporting roller so that the inserted foreign matter will not be caught in the card transporting path.
However, motor-driven card readers or such card readers that have heads at the top and bottom for recording and reproducing data on cards require many construction components and cannot provide a space for creating the hole for discharging foreign matter at a desirable position. Accordingly, only such foreign matter inserted at the position which corresponds to the hole provided at an available space can be discharged out of the card transporting path.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a card reader in which foreign matter inserted from the card inlet on purpose or by mistake is discharged no matter where it is in the card running width so as to prevent it from entering inside the card reader.
In accordance with the invention, a card reader which drives a card transporting means with a driving motor to transport cards by the card transporting means in a card passage, comprises a card entering passage formed in the same direction as the card passage by extending the distance between a front surface of a card inlet, from which the cards are inserted, and a front edge of the card transporting means. The card entering passage has card guiding portions formed in the same direction as the card passage for supporting inserted cards from both sides in the card transporting direction and a space for discharging foreign matter formed between the card guiding portions at both sides using nearly the entire space in the width direction between the card guiding portions.